Agusta A.104

A.104 Helicar
A.104 Helicar
	A.104 prototype exhibited at the 1963 Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport
General information
Type	Light helicopter
Manufacturer	Agusta
Status	none active, one preserved
Primary user	the manufacturer
Number built	3
History
First flight	December 1960

The Agusta A.104 Helicar was an Italian prototype light commercial helicopter first flown in December 1960.

Production

The A.104 was a slightly enlarged version of the A.103, and added a second seat beside the pilot's seat. The cockpit was enclosed by a perspex bubble with the engine at the rear and the tail rotor carried on an enclosed boom.

Two piston-engined prototypes were built, followed by a single example of a turbine-engined variant designated A.104BT. No production resulted.

Surviving aircraft

An example of the A.104 is preserved in the Museo Agusta which is maintained by the Agusta company and is located just south of Milan Malpensa Airport.^[1]

Variants

A.104 Helicar: Two prototype aircraft powered by de-rated Agusta GA.140 piston engines.
A.104BT Helicar: A single example of a turbo-shaft powered Helicar, powered by a 270 hp (201 kW) Agusta A.270.

Specifications

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1961–62 ^[2]

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Capacity: 1 passenger
Length: 6.35 m (20 ft 10 in)
Height: 2.35 m (7 ft 9 in)
Empty weight: 380 kg (838 lb)
Gross weight: 640 kg (1,411 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Agusta GA.140 air-cooled flat-four engine, 100 kW (140 hp) (derated to 89 kilowatts (120 hp))
Main rotor diameter: 7.95 m (26 ft 1 in)
Main rotor area: 49.6 m² (534 sq ft)

Performance

Maximum speed: 165 km/h (103 mph, 89 kn) at sea level
Cruise speed: 135 km/h (84 mph, 73 kn)
Range: 330 km (210 mi, 180 nmi)
Endurance: 2 hr 30 min
Service ceiling: 3,000 m (9,800 ft) (hover ceiling in ground effect)
Rate of climb: 4.1 m/s (810 ft/min)

References

^ Ogden 2006, p. 306
^ Taylor 1961, p. 97

Ogden, Bob (2006). Aviation Museums and Collections of Mainland Europe. Tonbridge, Kent, England: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-375-7.
Simpson, R. W. (1998). Airlife's Helicopters and Rotorcraft. Ramsbury: Airlife Publishing. pp. 32, 36.
Taylor, John W. R. (1961). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1961–62. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company.
Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 40.

External links

luftfahrt-archiv.de

[1] Ogden 2006, p. 306

[JAWA61_p97-2] Taylor 1961, p. 97

[1]

[2]